Using Technology to Do More with Less by Jason Guard
W
hen economic times are tight, it is the pro- credentialing is also a way to use your website to reduce grams who adapt to the new conditions that time spent going over these details on the phone and in maintain and even expand their services. person. Emergent technologies continually offer opportunities for improvement in the quality and efficiency of adult edu- Efficient Collaboration through Wikis cation services. Innovation assists agile organizations in Innovation often springs from the creative process of completing the work they already do and can eventually collaboration, so getting your instructors and staff togethbring about an evolution in our approach to adult educa- er to share ideas frequently will be a crucial part of negotion. tiating and responding Relatively recent developto change. However, ments in information technology Be patient but persistent … the time, effort, and can have significant impacts on expense involved in cohow a program communicates Staff members who are willing to ordinating face-to-face and collaborates that can help meetings can be profurther promotional efforts, re- adapt make up an agile organization hibitive. Another way source sharing, and internal cothat can thrive in any circumstance. to bring people together operation. Technology can make is to work on collaboralearning more accessible to adult tive documents that are students and professional develhosted on the Internet. opment more readily available to both staff and agency Jenny Bolte, in New River Valley, routinely uses wikis to partners. Although each individual educator cannot real- develop curricula, course schedules, and other documents istically stay up to speed on all of the latest technological of mutual concern to her staff. tools, a program’s staff can develop areas of specialization “Ultimately it will save you time and money as you that will help inform the organization and galvanize with will not find yourself repeating the same information the ethic of innovation. to numerous staff and colleagues,” says Bolte. “Keep in
Using IT for Outreach
Your program’s website could be your biggest outreach tool. There are fewer sound investments than the minimal expenses involved in buying a concise web address, updating your site with timely announcements, and connecting it to the sites of your partners and stakeholders. At this point in the information age, the public is rapidly embracing the web as its phone book. However, unlike the Yellow Pages, which require an organization to pay for the size of the ad, the effectiveness of a web page depends on time more so than money. Promoting your program online is an act of educational public service and consumer advocacy. Credible adult education service providers must increase their online profiles in order to establish themselves as the authoritative sources of classes and credentials. If we don’t supersize our online efforts, the web will be dominated by scam artists, and our potential clients will keep falling prey to opportunistic education predators. Providing a comprehensive overview of your program’s process of
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mind that when people are more in the ‘know,’ they have greater buy-in, and I really believe that you will see a difference in your program outcomes as I have seen in my own program.” There are a variety of easy-to-use websites that can make creating a wiki a matter of minutes; one educator-friendly platform is PBworks (formerly PBwiki). Another collaboration tool that is growing in popularity is Google Docs. Like wikis, these documents are hosted online and will save the trouble and expense of burning disks or using flash drives to transport files. The spreadsheet, word processing, and slideshow presentation tools are FREE and may save your program the prices of expensive software suites and periodic upgrades. Learn more about Google Docs.
Distance Learning
Due in large part to online programs offering dubious credentials, adult learners today have developed an expectation that they will be able to “do it online.” After clarifying that the GED Tests are not available over the Fall 2009 .:PROGRESS
